Spanglish with Claudia Camargo

We are highlighting a previous episode of the ¿Quién Tú Eres? podcast, where we explore the conflict we often face between "professionalism" & being our authentic selves.

Joining us in this episode we have Claudia Camargo, a digital creator and founder of Miles + Smiles, a lifestyle blog dedicated to inspiring content on beauty, travel, fashion, home decor, relationships, and wellness.

In this conversation, Claudia shares many of the challenging experiences she went through navigating authenticity vs. professionalism. And she also tells us how she ultimately landed in a place where she could find herself again and feel comfortable advocating for herself and her community.

These are some of the episode highlights:

“It's ok to be a lot. It's who I am. Why do I have to tone it down?” -Claudia Camargo

Sometimes those who give us the feedback view it as just feedback, and they do not realize that they are essentially criticizing who we are at our core, that it can feel like who we are is wrong, and therefore it is not accepted. And the scars this causes can impact how we decide to show up in the world, and they can take a long time to heal.

Claudia often received the feedback that she was too bossy or too much. And as a result, her sense of what authenticity meant to her got muddled along the way.

"I don't know how you react to microaggressions, but it's so shocking that you don't know what to say.” -Claudia Camargo

It’s easy to think back to a moment in which we experienced a microaggression. We play it over in our head with all the different responses we could have had and the ways in which we could have stood up for ourselves and our community.

But these situations can come as a surprise, and we don’t how we will respond until it happens. And even if we are able to come up with a response at that moment, sometimes we have not developed the confidence and emotional intelligence to best handle the situation without escalation or receiving more microaggressions.

For Claudia, after many uncomfortable situations and microaggressions, she decided that what was best for her was to leave and muster up the courage to change her circumstances to go to a place where she and her community were welcomed and seen.

“When I started this job, I felt seen and recognized, and it was just such a beautiful feeling.” -Claudia Camargo

Claudia shares how hard it was for her to navigate authenticity and professionalism at her former workplace and that she absorbed so much from that place that it became a big part of her. But she also tells us that, even though leaving was a difficult decision, it was what ultimately liberated her and opened many amazing opportunities for her.

In this new job, Claudia has now started the journey of reclaiming her authentic self and bringing everything she is and does to the table to create a space of growth and provide a voice to her community. And being seen and welcomed encourages her to show up more authentically each day.

***

Claudia is on the path to authenticity as she brings out more of herself to work. Listen to this episode to learn more:

Connect with Claudia on Instagram @miles.and.smiles and get inspired by her lifestyle blog Miles + Smiles.

Have a story to share? Let us know here for an opportunity to be featured in the podcast!